family

Did you miss me? I've been away a few days because I had family visiting for the weekend plus I was dealing with a few difficult family issues (unrelated to the visit or the people visiting) on Friday so my weekend was busy.

I woke up Friday morning dreading having to deal with legal issues concerning my mother but it wasn't as difficult as I had expected so I'm thankful for that. Soon enough I was heading home looking forward to a fun visit from my brother-in-law and his daughter. She is technically my niece but we grew up together so she's really my little sister and will be referred to in that way from now on.

I always enjoy spending time with them and this weekend was no exception. It's a nice mix of talking about serious issues and laughing a lot. While many of my extended family members have basically been ghosts in my life and their silence and distance is sad and hurtful, these two people have been there from the beginning of this nightmare and I know they will always have my back and that gives me a tiny bit of security in the face of a confusing and scary future.

Little sister is eating low carb these days and all my best breakfast recipes contain hash browns - because hash browns are amazing - so I had to do a little experimentation and come up with something outside of my recipe comfort zone.

I came up with these bacon and egg "muffins" that turned out quite tasty, if I do say so myself. I look forward to coming up with variations in the future. They were quick and easy and will freeze nicely so that I could make them up in advance for my own weekday breakfasts.

Both sis and bro-in-law are big coffee drinkers and have been disappointed in my lack of adequate coffee preparation machines in the past so Sister decided to take care of that on this trip, meet my brand new blue Keurig! 

Taz loved coffee but didn't drink more than 1 cup every few days so we had a tiny, cheap machine that used regular coffee grounds in a reusable filter. It worked and he loved it but it wasn't as convenient as a Keurig. He would have loved this one and since the color is just a little darker than his favorite Tiffany blue shade, I will be calling her Tiffany from now on.

My sister also provided me with quite a large supply of coffee for her future visits so hopefully that means she plans on coming often. We've both been through a lot this past year (and a few years before that) so we need lots of quality time together.

Don't tell anybody but I've always secretly wanted a Keurig for hot chocolate so I love Tiffany and will use her every day.

I'm glad I had a fun weekend because there are some big changes coming up that make me a bit anxious. Even though it's all positive and I'm really optimistic for the first time in six months, I'm not a big fan of change so I always approach it with caution and hesitation.

Oh well, if Tiffany keeps cranking out mugs of comforting hot chocolate, I'll start each day with a smile!